Skirt-guard for bicycles



No. 607,225. Patented luly I2, |898.

H. A. DENNIS.

IINrrnn STATES ATENT Fries.

ROBERT A. DENNIS, OF DAYTON, OHIO, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO OHAS. B.OGLESBY, OF MIDDLETOVN, OHIO.

SKIRT-GUARD FOR IBICYCLES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 607,225, dated July 12,1898. Application filed September 13, 1897. Serial No. 651,415. (Nomodel.) A

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, ROBERT A. DENNIS, a citizen of the United States,residing at Dayton, in the county of Montgomery and State of Ohio, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Skirt-Guards forBicycles; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exactdescription of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in theart to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being hadto the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference markedthereon, which form a part of this specification.

My invention relates to new and useful improvements in skirt-guards forbicycles. The skirt-guards now commonly in use are chiefly constructedof wood and cord and some of aluminium or an alloy called aluminiumThese are chiefly objectionable for the following reasons: In the caseot' the Wood-andcord guards the wood forming the ri-m easily splits orbecomes broken, owing to its necessarily having to be of light material.The cords catch the mud and dust and hold them and quickly wear out. Thecost of replacing them approximates that of the entire guard. Being madeof loose iibers, the foot easily catches in them and loosens the cordsor entirely demolishes the entire guard. The cords also accumulategrease from the chain, that mixing with the dust forms a thick paste,which soils the clothing of the rider. In the case of the aluminiumguards, they are too heavy, and, owing to their Weight, cannot befastened without the danger of becoming loose after being in use a shorttime, after which they cause a constant rattling noise while the wheelis in motion. Besides this,the so-called aluminium guards are expensiveas compared with my invention, and, further, the nature of the metaldoes not permit enamelin g or plating with other metals. The consequenceis'the metal soon corrodes and 45 becomes far less bright than when inthe new state. The object of the present invention is to provide askirt-guard that is entirely free from the above well-recognizedobjections and which is made of steel Wire crimped o or luted in such amanner as to allow the wire to be interwoven, leaving the face of theVthrough any violent use.

ter being crimped, woven, turned over, andl clenched cannot be slippedfrom these crimps The guard being constructed in this manner and of thismaterial, it will readily yield or give under a blow or pressure fromthe foot of the rider and will spring back to its place without beinginj ured.

In a detailed description of the invention reference is made totheaccompanying drawings, of which- Figure l is an elevation of theouter side of the guard that incloses the driving-chain andsprocket-wheels. Fig. 2 is an upper edge view of the same. Fig. is alower edge View of the same. Fig. Il is an enlarged sectional View ofthe mesh-wires, showing the crimps. Fig. 5 is a detached View of one ofthe clips. Fig. 6 is a side elevation of the guard applicable to therear wheel.

In the specification similar letters of reference indicate correspondingparts shown in the drawings.

The letter A designates the outer wire forming part of the frame andpreferably of No. 14E standard gage. This frame may be constructed ofone continuous piece of round wire rounded at one end, as at D,continuing back to form a brace at its rear end as well as a guard atsaid rear end over thesmall sprocket-wheel. This rear end of the frameterminates in an eye D, which iits over the axle or hub of the rearwheel of the bicycle. The same boltv that holds the rear wheel inposition also holds the guard, thus doing away with all other devicesfor the purpose of holding the guard in position. Parallel with theupper edge of the frame-wire A and extending around the rounded end Dthereof is a wire E of the same gage as wire A and made fast therewithby the mesh-wires. This wire E forms a brace to stiften the guard andhas one of its ends united to the main wire A at F by being clenchedthereto and the other end united at the rear end of the frame by IOOmeans of a ferrule G. The lower portion of the frame (shown in Fig. 3)therefore consists solely of the wire A, except at the rounded end D-forinstance, from points F to D, Fig.

H designates the mesh-wires, which are preferably of No. I8 gage. Thesewires are iirst crimped or Iluted and are then woven at angles into anydesirable designs. The ends thereof are turned over the frame-wires andclenched thereto, a portion of them extending over the outer wire A tothe inner wire E, thereby forming a guard or top shield for the chain.The frame is composed of a single wire at the bottom, extending from therear end forward to the front driving-sprocket. The object ofdiscontinuing the double or inner wire E of the frame at the lower sideis to avoid an objection found in the wooden rims for cordguards-namely, the chain, relaxing, strikes the wood and, as in the caseof the so-called aluminium guards, makes a continuoiiisly-rattlingnoise. In the present invention there is no partof the guard at thispoint for the chain to strike against. After uniting the mesh-wires tothe frame the article is then dipped in a bath of melted tin, whichgives it a tin-plate and at the same time solders everyjoint where twowires unite or cross each other. This transforms the guard practicallyinto one solid construction substantially lighter than it is possible toconstruct a guard as they are now made. The tin coat imparts a smooth orpolished surface to the wire, so that dust or other substance will notstick thereto. Extending across the edges of the upper and lower partsof the frame I place clips I, punched ot' sheet-steel and having theirends turned and clamped around the frame-wires A and E, the upper clipbeing in line with the lower one, or nearly so. These clips have oblongholes a punched in them to receive the screws or bolts of the frontbrace usually found on ladies wheels. This brace referred to extendsfrom the crank hanger or bearing, and being a common feature it has notbeen deemed necessary to show it in the drawings. .It is essential thatthe holes a and A' be oblong, as thereby any adjustment of the chain totighten it allows the guard to move back with the wheel, the guardinterfering in no manner with the adjustment. The opening .I for thecrank-boss to project through is provided by the omission of parts oftwo wires. This opening is sufficiently large to slip over thecrank-pedal in placing the guard in position. Therefore it is notnecessary to remove the pedal or crank to attach the guard.

The guard above described can be readily applied to a bicycle that haspreviously been fitted with a cord-an dwooden-rim guard without havingto remove the rim, thus making the wire guard take the place of thecords. The construction of the guard shown in Fig.

(l is the saine as that of the chain-guard, the only difference being inits application to the rear wheel of the bicycle. The eye K fits overthe hub of the rear wheel and the guard extends over the periphery ofthe rear wheel, or it may be used in connection with the wooden-rim or mud guard at that point.

Having fully described my invention, I claiml. A skirt-guard forbicycles, comprising a frame-wire A forming the outer side of the frame,and an inner frame-wire E running parallel with the upper horizontalportion and the rounded portion of the outer wire A, and having itsrearward end joined to the rearward horizontal terminal of wire A, andits forwardend joined to the lower horizontal portion of wire A as at F,a series of crosswires having their ends clenched to the framewires Aand E, said lwires being soldered at each cross and joint, and means foradjustably mounting said guard so that in adj usting thesprocket-chainof the bicycle,the guard will move or yield to the extent of suchadjustment, substantially as herein shown and described.

2. A skirt-guard forbicycles,comprising the wire frame A and E, thelatter running parallel with the rounded and upper horizontal parts ofthe former whereby open space is provided at the lower side et the guardso that there will be no obstruction in the way of the sprocket-chain,the rear end of said frame terminating in an oblong eye by which saidend is secured, and upper and lower transverse clips secured to theforward end of said frame, the said clips having oblong holes therein bywhich the said forward end is secured, and a series of mesh-wires havingtheir ends clenched to the frame-wires, the said wires having theirjoints and crossed portions soldered, all constructed and arrangedsubstantially as and for the purpose specified.

3. As a newariicle of manufacture, a skirtguard for bicycles, consistingof a wire frame having its rear end terminating in an oblong eye D, andits forward end rounded, the lower horizontal portion of said framebeing open by the omission of the innerframe-wire, a series ofcross-wires essentially of smaller gage than the frame-wires, said gagecrosswires having their ends clenched to the fram ewires, and the wholeunited by means of a tin-bath, and means for movably securing said frameto a bicycle, as herein shown and described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

ROBERT A. DENNIS.l

lVitnesses:

Clins. B. OeLnsi-iv, R. J. MeCAn'rv.

IOO

IIO

IZO

